A New Life
by PotStabLalala
Summary: Roxy has arrived in the town of Gaia. Yeah.  I wrote this aaaaages ago and thought I might as well post it...
1. Chapter 1  Roxy arrives

DAY 1

As a refugee in a different world, Roxy travelled to the island of Gaia where she found a quaint little village with many people. She was very tired and was wearing very scruffy clothes, and had to sleep out on the road. Luckily, a kind man called Ian who ran a local shop called the Barton Boutique, took her in and gave her food to eat and a bed to sleep in. He also gave her new clothes – a nice pick top and smart brown trousers.

The next day before opening his shop, Ian dropped Roxy off at the Housing Commission so that she could get her own house. In the building, she was greeted by Josie, a pretty arabian girl, who welcomed Roxy in a very kind way. She asked what type of style she would like her house to be. Roxy picked a square little cottage. Josie then got out a map, where all of the vacancy spots were shown – these were the places where Roxy could place her house. Not knowing the most suitable place for a house, Josie put it in a peaceful part of town by the fishing lake and gardens. Roxy was so happy. Josie said that Roxy could shop for furniture at the 'Faktori' so that she could customise her home. It would cost 1000 coins for Roxy to change the position of her house if she wanted to. But Roxy didn't want to. She was happy.

However, Roxy was worried about money – she didn't have any. But Josie contacted the mayor of the village who gave Roxy 200 coins for being new in the city. He said that if she was desperate for more he would always give her some. Money could be earned by doing a great many things, and Roxy was very interested about getting a job. Roxy went back to Ian who was serving customers with a very cheerful smile. Then, a little blue cat jumped out and began rubbing itself against Roxy's legs. Ian smiled; the blue cat was called Rufus, and it belonged to him. He obviously liked her. Ian could see that Roxy was eager to get a job, so he let her look after the shop while he went out, and she could keep all the money she earned.

By the end of the day, Roxy had got lots of money, and she could keep all of it. Ian came back inside, hiding something behind his back. He nodded over to the board behind the counter where there was a flyer for the town prom, which was on that night. He asked Roxy if she was interested in going. 'Of course!' she squealed, but she had no clothes to wear. 'You do now,' smiled Ian sweeping out a beautiful expensive Christian Siriano's pink and black ball gown. Roxy was so delighted and could not believe how fortunate she was to be living in such a lovely place with such lovely people. She almost felt bad for not paying back the many favours she had been given. Roxy and Ian were close, and looked deep into each others' eyes. Ian was wondering, and then spurted out 'Roxy, will you go to the prom with me?' At first there was no answer, Roxy was too surprised. Then she gasped out her over enjoyment with a 'Yes! Oh yes!' and the two hugged each other with compassion. Little did they know that the evil eyes of Zhivago were watching them with intense glee and satisfaction. That night, Ian and Roxy had the time of their lives, dancing and listening to music in the moonlit sky by the glistening pool in the summer breeze. He gave her a silver ring with diamond studs that must have cost a fortune. It was a glorifying night to remember.


	2. Chapter 2  Shopping

DAY 2

The next morning, Roxy woke up in Ian's house behind his shop, by Rufus licking her face. She got dressed and washed, before going into the kitchen to find Ian making a delicious breakfast of pancakes for them both. Ian thought that Roxy might like to do some shopping with a few of the local girls, so he brought her round to a neighbour's house.

The girl who lived there was Julie, and she helped out in a clothes store called MTV's Sunset Couture. Julie was a red haired fashion girl who was loud and a jolly assistant. She took Roxy around all the shops while Ian was working in his shop. They went into a jewellery store, run by an elderly woman named Agatha, called 'Barton Jewellers', where they bought some accessories for those special festivals.

Then they quickly popped into the 'Barton Flowershoppe' where they sniffed all the flowers and bought some perfume. Rina, the girl in charge of the store was very knowledgeable about the plants and helped the girls decide which perfume and flower was best for certain occasions. They passed the 'Ole Fishing Hole' as Julie said that the guy who worked there, Old Man Logan they called him, was a bit frightening if you're new.

A shop that Julie was particularly fond of was the 'Gambino Hat Rack' store. The lady there, Ruth, was a bit of a posh tottie and kept on going on about how hat's were part of the family business and whatfor, Roxy thought she seemed pretty kind, but she was a little snooty, constantly filing her nails and going on about how her hats are made of the finest materials. Julie forced herself not to buy anything and went into the next clothes store – 'Gambino Outfitters'. The lady, Sasha, was very friendly and very excitable and very chatty. Just a little bit_ too _chatty. When she found out about Roxy going with Ian to the prom, she just wouldn't shut up about it. She rambled on about true love and that Ian's cat made her sneeze and she still wouldn't be quiet even after the girls had left!

Roxy popped into the 'Durem Depot', but Julie dragged her out quickly, after the gothic Moira began talking darkly about her rock band and several tattoos. They went into 'H.R Wesley' but didn't dare touch anything, as everything was so expensive. The master there was a middle-aged scary looking man with glasses and in a black suit. His name was Edmund and he liked all children to have a good strict education and never had sales. The girls darted out of that shop quickly.

They went into 'Salon Durem', the hairdressers, where Julie got her hair coloured and styled by the manager Vanessa. Roxy decided against it after she saw Vanessa's short blonde hair with long black extensions. They also went into 'Skin Tyte' where the girls felt squeamish after meeting Natasha with her tattoos and needles; the 'Faktori' where Roxy spoke to the robots Bildeau, Bludeau and Ribateau before buying some furniture for her house; 'Prize and Joy' a gambling shop where the hostess Becky managed to persuade Julie to spend 5 coins on a slot machine . . . and lose; and finally, 'Sam's Body and Parts' where the lady Sam kind of freaked them out. She had a habit of speaking in an odd northern accent and talking about cars. Roxy chose a cute pink Possum car and took her driving test – she got an A+! Julie and Roxy then stopped for a bite of lunch.

After lunch, Julie led Roxy into a shop called 'Crate and Apparel'. She wasn't interested in what it sold, just the guy who worked there, Liam. However, while Josie was hiding in the corner studying cowboy boots (trying to think of a way to approach Liam) he came up to Roxy and asked if she could help him. 'Yeah, sure,' she replied. Liam explained how every girl in town was mad at him. He had been secretly dating Sasha, Moira and Vanessa at the same time, and they found out. Now he can't even go for a haircut without getting chased out of the salon with a razor. He said he'd tried everything, writing letters, talking, even walking around with his top off, but no one reacted. He wanted to be like Roxy and Ian (to which she blushed) and he said that he'd have asked her out if she knew she wasn't dating someone else.

So Roxy decided to help. Liam asked her to ask for advice from other men, and she decided to wait a while before telling him how Julie felt. So Roxy left Julie in the shop and dashed back to H.R. Wesley to discuss the matter with Edmund. His reaction was a little off-putting: 'You require information about attracting women? You're a girl! And what do I look like, a public library? Sorry, but secrets are for paying customers only. I'd kindly ask you to buy something or move along.' Roxy thought about walking out on him, but then thought about Liam, and so bought a fur coat for 5 gold. Edmund thought before saying 'Now, I supposed you'll want me to tell you that secret now. In my experience, the way to a lass' heart is simple: sophistication. Tell your friend to look sharp and maintain his dignity at all times. Perhaps a monocle will help. Nothing says sophistication like a monocle! Well, run a long now. I've told you all there is to know about male charm. Return from whence you came!' Roxy was a little stumped by his answer, but nevertheless she hurried back to 'Crate and Apparel' in her fur coat as it was getting quite chilly. Liam was interested with the information Roxy gave him, but he wanted more. He suggested Logan, the old fisherman who Julie didn't want to meet.

So Roxy left Julie once again and went over to the 'Ole Fishing Hole' to meet Old Man Logan. He was an old barmy man with weird glasses and he stank of fish. He was intrigued by Roxy's question. 'Ah, so this friend of yours needs a little help with the girlies eh? Why don't he ask you? He he he! Well ye've come ta the right guy. I've seen it all. I've had dates with fat girls, skinny girls, ugly girls . . . did I already say fat girls? Anyway, you name it, I seen it. Maybe even one or two girls who weren't really . . . ya know . . . girls.' Roxy wasn't sure about wanting his advice, and neither was Logan. He wanted to see that she was 'rugged enough' to take the advice of a 'real man'. 'Say,' he said, 'How about you bring me a fish? I can't respect another human being until they've caught a fish. Catch me a Blue Bass and I'll tell you tales about women you've never heard!' Roxy was a little unsure about fishing . . . Julie was right - Logan _was_ mad! So Roxy went back to Ian's store and asked him about fishing. He thought it was a great idea and let Roxy drive down to Bass'ken Lake as she had passed her driving test. They sat on the bank together in the sunset, feeding eachother cucumber sandwiches while fishing. After a couple of hours, they had caught 11 orange guppies, 10 yellow guppies, 5 red guppies, 3 old rusty cans, 1 old boot and a big old tyre. However, Ian brought out of his pocket, a secret bucket of GRADE A fish bait, and tried it out. In the end they got some brown bass, a couple of green bass, a few green seedkins, a pink seedkin, and a blue bass! They had a wonderful time, and Roxy almost forgot why she wanted to go fishing in the first place. They walked home, arm in arm, down the peaceful street, by the moonlit sky, and went to bed after a mug of hot chocolate.


	3. Chapter 3 Helping Liam

DAY 3

Roxy woke up early in the morning before Ian, put on her fur coat, and dashed out of the house, down the lane, to the 'Ole Fishing Hole'. She knew that Logan would be up early to catch some fish. She found him sitting in his old deckchair under the broken sail of his old ship. When he saw her, she took the blue bass out of her pocket and handed it to him. He smiled a toothy grin, 'Ah, a fine fishy! Thanks bub, this is perfect. Okay, now let me show you how to win a lady's heart, including yer own. You can fool some girls with yer flashy clothes and fancy poetry, but to really impress a girl, here's what ya need to know. Ready? Okay, watch close: *URMPH* . . . *BLARGH* . . . *CHOMP* Okay, ya see what I did there, bub? I just bit the head clean off'n that wriggling fish. See, a lady's gotta know that you're a real rugged character, or else she's never gonna respect ya.'

Roxy froze, she was disgusted and shocked – poor fish! She had no idea what type of ladies Old Man Logan had managed to attract, but it certainly wasn't her, and she couldn't see Liam doing that. However, she thanked the old fisherman for his help and ran quickly back to Ian's house. It was getting lighter. She washed her hands from the fish, hung up her coat, cleaned her and Ian's boots, filled up Rufus' food and water bowl and began to prepare for breakfast.

Ian came downstairs and she greeting him with a warm mug of tea. He was rather sleepy still, so as it was Sunday, Roxy volunteered to go down to the shops to buy some groceries and a newspaper. On the way, she popped into Crate and Apparel. When she first went in, it was all dark and she couldn't see anything. Then out jumped Liam with a saucepan in hand! Roxy screamed.

'Liam! What on EARTH are you doing?' Liam looked guilty and chucked the saucepan away; he was worried that it might have been someone that wanted to kill him or something. Then he cheered up, 'Anyway, so what did that salty old sea dog Logan have to say about women?'

Roxy explained, and Liam seemed quite happy, 'Rugged, huh? That's surprisingly good advice coming from a dude who smells like a low tide. Yeah, he's probably right. I'd better work on getting a little more rugged. I'd better go find a fish . . .' So Liam was all set to go fishing, and Roxy explained that if he ever needed a guppy or two, she had plenty. On the way out, Liam asked her if she wouldn't mind talking to Bludeau, one of the robots at the 'Faktori'. She said she'd think about it.

Roxy went to the local newsagents, and bought some vegetables and a newspaper, plus some cat treats for Rufus. On the way back home, she passed the 'Faktori', and decided to pop inside. When she asked for Bludeau, out came a small square-ish robot singing 'I . . . l . . .o . . .v . . . e . . . y . . . o . . . u . . . 010011101001101110 . . .' Bludeau was over the moon about being spoken to. He was excited about experiencing friendship and kindness, and it took Roxy quite some time to get through to him. He seemed hurt from the question that was put to him about female love, 'I cannot feel love, for I am but a box of brass and strings and electric gut stuff. I will never experience the things you humans take for granted: the touch of flesh, the joy of emotions, the exquisite pain of laying an egg . . .' Roxy raised her eyebrows, and Bludeau carried on, 'Nonetheless, I have made many observations about this thing called love. I would happily share these insights with you, but I must ask a favour in return.' Roxy was nervous to accept a quest from this insane robot, but she did anyhow. She was asked to catch 3 butterflies – 1 red, 1 blue, and 1 yellow, so that Bludeau could enclose them in his chest cavity. This might just feel like the fluttering of love to him. Roxy nodded uncertainly and walked out.

When she got back to Ian's store, he greeted her warmly and thanked her for the shopping. He had arranged for them to have a nice walk around the park and explore the different parts of town. Roxy was over the moon and asked if perhaps she could try and catch some interesting bugs and insects along the way. Ian thought it to be a pleasant idea and fetched her a net from his garden shed. Then the two of them set off in their boots and hard gloves, as it was quite crisp outside. It may still be summer, but the coldness of winter was already drawing in. Perhaps it was because of the unknown presence of Zhivago, that was turning the sun into ice…

Roxy and Ian had a wonderful time in town. They took a picnic with them and sat in the sun, watching the pouring fountain and the leaves fall from the trees, swaying gently in the afternoon breeze. All day long, Roxy jumped and swooped and hopped and skipped, trying to catch bugs and creatures flying in the sky. Ian laughed at her determinism and showed Roxy how to swiftly catch a bug before it flew away. By the end of the day, Roxy had perfected the art, and had collected many insects, including the butterflies that Bludeau had asked for.

She took some pretty flowers to take home, along with the 3 butterflies (as she had let the others go) and she still did not let in to Ian about the quest she was going on for Liam. On the way home from the park, they bumped into Leon, the security cop of Barton Town. He looked fierce in his bulky armour, but he was only there to keep the village safe. Roxy asked if she could pop into the 'Faktori' to ask about some paint she was interested in, so she stayed behind when Ian went home. She went inside and gave the butterflies to Bludeau. He opened up the jar and shoved them inside. CLANK! 'Alas,' he sighed, 'the butterflies had no effect, other than gumming up my SPEEchh Cirrrcut a little BBBBit. But yyyess, now I givvve ad-vice. To get hearts of female ladywoman, must express you heart! Time you write poem on lady. Give lady poem, feels love, lady love forever.' Roxy tried to explain that SHE wasn't the one who wanted to attract a lady, but Bludeau carried on . . . 'Hheere, I make poem for lady. TELL friend to use poem to lady: _O lady, So fine you lady. O am enjoy in mine heart, Taste of lady lick mine brain. Lady give thee to me, O lady must be mine, FOREVER I WANT LADY, Give love now me. _AH yes, this poetry give love in ANY lady. Give love words at friend?'

Roxy thanked Bludeau for his help, and still heard him singing as she went down the street! She popped in to see Liam quickly before going back home. Liam was extremely happy with the results he was getting. He thought for sure that the girls would be mad about him if he mixed together sophistication, ruggedness and poetry. Roxy wasn't so sure, and thought up a plan in her head that she couldn't help smiling about. Julie would be so happy! Liam thanked Roxy so much for her help and said that he had all the information he needed. Feeling happy with helping someone, and thinking about helping another, Roxy ran home and went to sleep pretty quickly, unaware that Zhivago was watching her through the window . . .


End file.
